Our own Dr. Hamberg is about to become Dr. Sonya Whisler this coming weekend! She will be marrying one of Dr. Persinger's best friends, Shane Whisler! The ThurstonTalk blog wrote an article on Sonya last week, as well as mentioning our new mural (seen below), check it out:
http://www.thurstontalk.com/2017/08/01/dr-sonya-hamberg-lacey-family-dental/
Looking at this before and after photo set, one might be tempted to classify this as solely cosmetic dentistry. And the teeth do look a heckuva lot better, right? Longer, whiter, missing tooth replaced!
But the back side view reveals severe wear and decay, as seen below. This is not just a touch up job, and in fact the patient was given the option of dentures at multiple offices he sought for opinions.
We are thankful he ended up here and that we found a way to make this happen for him! By phasing over time and dealing with the most pressing needs first, we not only saved these teeth but created a beautiful smile that he says has given him renewed confidence to speak and laugh in public.
Your dental needs may be more or (hopefully) less than this, but whatever they are we can give you customized options and find a way to make your restoration a reality.
Call us at (360) 459-1600.
Happy Halloween! I'm definitely not one of those dentists who will tell you to never eat candy. Have fun, keep it reasonable, and consider brushing twice on Thursday night so you're not haunted by cavities like Jack O'Lantern* here :-O
Cavities, while frightening, don't happen mysteriously over night from eating a lot of sugar. Prolonged and routine exposure to sugar feeds bacteria in your mouth. These bacteria produce acid that rots (demineralizes) your teeth over time and even entrench themselves further by building up a sticky film to live in - plaque. Plaque calcifies or hardens into tartar over time, making a fortress for those bacteria!
It's deviously simple, what these bacteria do. YOU feed THEM every time you eat, especially when you eat simple sugars. And if you let them live unhindered in the nooks and crannies of your mouth, tooth decay is the predictable outcome.
Common sense steps for those worried about tooth decay include 2-3 times daily brushing (ideally with a fluoride toothpaste, but the most important thing is breaking up the bioflim), once daily flossing, and limiting frequency of snacking.
With snacking, as far as your teeth are concerned, more important than the amount of sugar you ingest is how often sugar is washing over colonies of hungry bacteria. The same Coca-Cola sipped every 10 minutes all day long is MUCH more destructive to your teeth than drinking the entire can all in one sitting (consider not doing that either, though, if you are worried about your health).
If you'd like to know more, give us a call: 360-459-1600. We'd love to have a personal discussion and provide you with a thorough dental screening (usually covered by insurance or just $19 including x-rays for new patients).
*yes this is/was my pumpkin this year!
Just finished up treatment with an amazing patient, using Invisalign to close up a large diastema (gap) between his front two teeth. He graciously allowed me to post his full face before and after photos. We think he's the greatest but sadly for us we'll only get to see him every six months from now on because he has a super healthy mouth!
InvisAlign is a computer-guided orthodontic system using a series of plastic trays that are clear and removable to guide teeth into a new position. I happily refer many orthodontic cases to a specialty trained orthodontist (big fan of Dr. Alexander over by St. Petes), but I love to discuss treatment options with patients, clear/prepare their mouths for orthodontic treatment (hierarchy of needs, gotta take care of that decay first!), and we do also do a number of cases at our office with fantastic results at a significant savings!
Any questions, give us a call: (360) 459-1600.
MC Skip, Dr. Venn Peterson, and myself after "Not Another Toothache Blues"
Thanks to everybody who came out for the 2013 Olympia Union Gospel Mission fundraiser extravaganza! I loved being a part of it again this year and getting to know some of the other awesome dentists in our community even better, including Drs. Bath, Psaltis, Kern, Winters, Peterson, and Russell. Great group, great show! We raised $44,759 for the Mission's free dental clinic (thanks in no small part to some generous matching donors).
Click here to see a video of the acoustic number that Dr. Peterson and I did together, a rewrite of Jim Croce's "Workin' at the Carwash Blues" that we called "Not Another Toothache Blues".
Also scroll down for more pictures and to see the song's witty and meaningful lyrics (that some genius must have written! :)
Thanks to Charlene Welsh for sending me the video and photos!
"Taking Care of Patients" ...with hardware drills, oh my!
"Run Around Sue" ...that Dr. Winters has a heckuva voice!
"Cavities" done to the tune of "Lemon Tree" ...I am too young to know this song.
Lyrics for "Not Another Toothache Blues"
Well I had first heard bout the Union Gospel Mission As I waited out the rain in this door Tried to find me a comfortable position But nothing seemed to help anymore He wouldn't listen to the fact that I was a genius I said man, stop that crying on your shoes But I got them steadily depressin', low down mind messin' Not another toothache blues Well I should be sitting in an air-conditioned Office in a dental chair Talking some cash to the secretaries sayin' Here now doctor it's this one over here Instead I'm stuck here holding my jaw with a rag And dying from this pain in my tooth Cause I got them steadily depressin', low down mind messin' Not another toothache blues You know a man of your dire need must consult with a dental physician But till I get myself straight I guess I'll just have to pray That they can get you in down at the Mission Well all I can do is shake my head That you might not believe it's true There's people in this city who'll give you more than pity Helping you is what they can do I ain't no high roller, please help me with my molar In any way that you can or you choose With them steadily depressin', low down mind messin' Not another toothache blues
Above: Before picture showing heavy stain buildup on rough surfaces and a chipped tooth.
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Below: After picture showing teeth smoothed with microabrasion and the edges recontoured ("odontoplasty"). This took 10 minutes with no numbing!
If you've ever checked out my Facebook page, you know I've taken lots of great odontoplasty photos! This is something I do for people all the time at no cost, especially if I'm already set up to do something else.
Recontouring teeth can make such a huge impact, no numbing is needed, and it takes about 10-15 minutes tops! The biggest complaint I get is a little water on the face (don't you hate when it runs into your ears?) and "why didn't I get this done sooner?!"
In the Before and After above, I also removed all of that stain and then some with a little microabrasion. The patchy white tones in these teeth are caused by "fluorosis", which stems from too much fluoride in drinking water when these teeth were devoloping (usually seen in well water or when added by drops, not in the quantities seen in municipal water supplies). This caused a little mottling in addition to the color variation, which made the surfaces rough and attract an inordinate amount of stain. Microabrasion not only easily removed the stain and smoothed the surface, the patchy tones evened out a little as well.
Any patient of mine with any recontouring needs or desires, just ask and I will do what I can for you too!
Notches that form on your teeth at the gumline are known as abfractions. This specific type of cavity is caused not just by decay (in fact there is often not decay present!), but by brushing your teeth too hard and teeth grinding or "bruxism". It's thought that grinding and/or clenching of the jaws contributes by causing a slight flexure at this fulcrum point of the tooth.
While this tooth seen here was easily treated with a simple filling, in some cases significant gum recession can also be part of the problem. Gum-replacement grafts might be needed to cover up sensitive exposed root surfaces if recession has progressed far enough. Good news is that one easy visit is sufficient for most abfractions!
In my very first photo blog post, I'm going to tell you a little about Celeste, my very first employee!
Celeste literally came with the building, she is fond of saying. She worked here for 15 years for the dentist whose practice I took over, Dr. John Dennehy.
Celeste is more than a dental assistant, she is the person who knows how everything runs, keeps everything clean, and even orders all our dental supplies (no small task)! But let me not forget to mention what a great chairside dental assistant she is too. She makes my life and patients care so much better for all her hard work :)
Thanks for all that you do for Persinger Family Dental, Celeste!
